Centennial Medalists

Honorands whose contributions to society emerged from graduate study

From left: John O’Malley, Cecilia Rouse, David Mumford, and Francis Fukuyama

Photograph by Tony Rinaldo/Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Centennial Medal, first awarded in 1989 on the occasion of the school’s hundredth anniversary, honors alumni who have made contributions to society that emerged from their graduate studies. It is the highest honor the Graduate School bestows, and awardees include some of Harvard’s most accomplished alumni. The 2016 recipients, announced at a ceremony on May 25, are: Francis Fukuyama, Ph.D. ’81, a political scientist, political economist, and author; David Mumford ’57, Ph.D. ’61, a theoretical and applied mathematician who studies visual perception; John O’Malley, Ph.D. ’65, a priest, professor of theology, and historian of early modern Catholicism; and Cecilia Rouse ’86, Ph.D. ’92, an economist who served as adviser to two presidents and is now dean of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton. For more about the honorands, see harvardmag.com/centennial-16.

You might also like

Harvard Kennedy School Unveils American Service Fellowship

Will fund degrees for 50 public servants and military veterans

John Goldberg named Dean of Harvard Law School

A professor at HLS since 2008, he steps up from the interim role.

Harvard Medical School Renames Diversity Office, Revamps Recruitment Program

The latest in a broader rollback of DEI at the University

Most popular

The Professor Who Quantified Democracy

Erica Chenoweth’s data shows how—and when—authoritarians fall.

The Standoff: Harvard’s Future in the Balance

Introducing a guide to the issues, players, and stakes.

How the Brain Replays Actions During Sleep

Experiments using a neuroprosthetic reveal nocturnal motor neuron learning.

Explore More From Current Issue

Matt Levine in a dark blazer and glasses stands smiling with arms crossed in front of a large window in a city building.

Matt Levine’s spunky Bloomberg column

Nicolo Maestas in a grey suit and wearing glasses sits with her arms on a table

The Harvard health economist not afraid to get in the weeds

A woman and a horse jump off a large platform into water

Scrapbooking a woman who rode horses into the sea